Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --- Mark Twain

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Bienvenidos a la Republica de Chile

Day 762,
84 420 km since the beginning of the journey.

At the border-station of San Sebastiao . Before leaving Argentina I tried to eat up all the fresh fruit in the car, as it was not allowed to take with some raw foods to Chile. The list also included all kinds of processed foods, such as spices for example.

Completing the customs declaration was easy as in my own opinion I had nothing forbidden. But the expert eye of the officer still found one orange, which I thought of being eaten up already, from behind the seat. And it was confiscated.

So welcome or "Bienvenidos a la Republica de Chile". I didn`t drive straight along the major road towards Punta Arenas, which is the largest town of this region of Chile , but again turned to the south, to find out myself how far down on could get on this side of the border. There were even some roads taking to Beagle Channel on some of more detailed maps, but however, it is still the most reliable to view oneself.

And Karukinka National Park is situated there as well.The weather was a bit greyish , so no way to have nice pictures here at the beginning of this post. In larger populated places one can usually visit museums and wait for a few days until the weather gets beautiful, but this place is one of the least populated areas in the world..

Tens of kilometres of completely empty road and then suddenly there were two crosses and two flags by the road.

Again another choice to make. To the left the road took southwards and to the right – towards Cameron and Pourvenir , but I had no intention to move that direction just then. Towards Pourvenir - later. There is a ship traffic from Pourvenir over the Strait of Magellan to Punta Arenas once a day. And Monday is a ships- free day. It can be also useful to know this information.
Here between the mountains between Argentina and Chile there is one more border station that is open only in the summer season.

Next, there are tens of kilometres of empty land and some abandoned farms. Estancia Vicuña - built in 1917.

Karukinka National Park. In the local selk`name language “Karukinka” means -“our land”.

Further on to the south. As to the road, one might say that quite a lot of construction work has been done here and it is hard to believe that it does not lead anywhere and suddenly comes to an end.

The road takes higher and higher. And it is raining.

A longer descending is waiting ahead.

Fagnano Lake and from here on the road was closed. A temporary campus was seen ahead. I left the bus behind the gate, I took the map and went to investigate. Some men in uniform confirmed that the road would soon come to end and it was not allowed to drive on from there.

So I turned back and found an overnight place. And the next morning it was still all gray around.

Lake Fagnano from a d.istance.

And back upwards. The hillsides were snowy and peaks were covered with clouds.

Complete emptiness all around.

Guanacos, they were familiar with people but didn`t get very close.

Another monument of the mighty times of gold-mining.

Back to the Strait of Magellan.

J
There was one more road southwards and having reached so far I decided to follow it , but there were countless numbers of gates to open and shut and open and shut and ....and ...so endlessly. Finally, you are quite dizzy and wonder why there ought to be so many of them as any guanaco can jump over but then, of course , there are sheep and cows as well although not in sight just now.

So one more road to the end of the world. Or up to the next abandoned farm.

On the way back. And after a while the sun came out..

Another overnight place at the roadside.

Pourvenir.

At the port of Pourven.

And once more over The Magellan Strait, back to the continent of South America. I arrived here on January 10 and went back on March 11 and I can just say that this is an area of fantastic landscape and unique aura. And also with interesting history.
And another small, but important thing - there are no mosquitoes here .